CHAPTER 6 – Brooke Finally Breaks
The confession landed like an explosion.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Brooke's own hands flew to her mouth as though she wished she could pull the words back.
Captain Elena Brooks slowly lowered the evidence bag.
"What did you just say?"
Brooke stared at the burned ultrasound report.
"I..."
She swallowed hard.
"...I wrote it."
Lila looked at her in disbelief.
"You..."
Her voice shook.
"You never even knew me back then."
Brooke closed her eyes.
"I didn't."
"But Derek did."
The room fell silent again.
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
Brooke's shoulders slumped.
"For the first time since you've all been here..."
"...I'm going to tell the truth."
Derek immediately lunged toward her.
"Don't."
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
Brooke looked at him.
For months, she had mistaken his possessiveness for love.
Now...
She recognized it for what it really was.
Fear.
"You promised."
She whispered.
"You said we'd always protect each other."
Derek laughed bitterly.
"You think I'm going down alone?"
Captain Brooks nodded to the officers.
"Separate them."
Within seconds, Derek was escorted to the opposite side of the room.
He continued glaring at Brooke.
Marcus noticed.
"He doesn't want you talking."
Brooke gave a hollow laugh.
"No."
"...because I know everything."
Captain Brooks switched on a voice recorder.
"Miss Walker."
"You are voluntarily making a statement?"
Brooke nodded.
"Yes."
She looked directly at Lila.
"I owe you that much."
Lila didn't answer.
There was nothing left to say.
"It started almost four years ago."
Brooke's eyes drifted toward the rain outside.
"I wasn't his yoga instructor."
Everyone frowned.
"What?"
Marcus asked.
Brooke shook her head.
"That part was a lie."
"I worked as a marketing consultant."
"Carter International hired my firm."
She took a shaky breath.
"That's where I met Derek."
"He flirted constantly."
"I ignored him."
Captain Brooks asked,
"Did you know he was married?"
"Yes."
"I also knew he wasn't happy."
Lila quietly whispered,
"I thought we were."
Brooke looked down.
"So did I."
"Derek told me you hated him."
Brooke continued.
"He said you married him because of his family's money."
Lila stared at her.
"I never said that."
"I know."
Brooke answered softly.
"I know now."
She looked toward Marcus.
"He made himself look like the victim."
Marcus folded his arms.
"Classic manipulation."
Brooke nodded.
"I believed every word."
Captain Brooks interrupted.
"What about the ultrasound report?"
Brooke took a long breath.
"That happened six months ago."
Lila frowned.
"Six months?"
Brooke nodded.
"The day you found out you were pregnant."
Everyone listened carefully.
"Derek came to my apartment."
"He wasn't celebrating."
"He was furious."
"He said..."
She hesitated.
Captain Brooks encouraged her.
"Go on."
Brooke whispered,
"He said another baby would ruin everything."
Marcus' expression darkened.
"What did he mean?"
"He never explained."
"He only kept saying..."
"'This child can't be born.'"
Brooke continued speaking.
"He brought several medical papers."
"Insurance forms."
"Ultrasound reports."
"He threw them across my kitchen table."
"I asked what he wanted me to do."
Lila's heartbeat quickened.
Brooke looked directly at her.
"He handed me a marker."
"And said..."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"'Write something that makes her understand.'"
Marcus slowly looked at the evidence bag.
"So you wrote..."
"'Get rid of it.'"
Brooke nodded.
"I thought..."
"...I thought it was just another cruel argument."
"I never imagined..."
She looked toward Lila's bruises.
"...he'd actually start hurting you."
Lila's voice was barely audible.
"He already was."
Brooke burst into tears.
"I know."
Derek suddenly laughed.
The sound echoed coldly through the room.
"Are you really pretending you're innocent?"
Brooke turned toward him.
"I'm not innocent."
"No."
She wiped away her tears.
"But I'm not staying silent anymore."
Captain Brooks looked toward one of the detectives.
"Record every word."
The detective nodded.
Brooke continued.
"The affair started eight months ago."
Marcus immediately noticed something.
"You just said you met four years ago."
Brooke nodded.
"We worked together."
"But we didn't become involved until eight months ago."
Lila slowly closed her eyes.
Exactly the same amount of time Derek had stopped touching her.
The same month he began sleeping in the guest room.
The same month everything became unbearable.
"I tried ending it."
Brooke whispered.
"Twice."
Derek rolled his eyes.
"Oh, please."
"You begged me to stay."
Brooke ignored him.
"The second time..."
"He threatened me."
Captain Brooks looked up.
"What kind of threat?"
"He said..."
"...if I left..."
"...everyone would learn I'd helped forge documents."
Marcus frowned.
"What documents?"
Brooke looked at Derek.
"He'd been stealing money from Carter International."
The room froze.
"I created fake marketing invoices."
"I thought they were legal."
"They weren't."
"Millions of dollars were disappearing."
Captain Brooks exchanged a glance with another detective.
"The financial crimes unit needs to hear this."
Marcus asked quietly,
"Why stay?"
Brooke laughed through her tears.
"Because by then..."
"...I thought I loved him."
She looked at Lila.
"But I finally realized something."
"He doesn't love anyone."
Not me.
Not you.
Not even himself."
One of the forensic technicians entered carrying another cardboard evidence box.
"Captain."
"We found this hidden inside the attic."
Captain Brooks looked surprised.
"The attic?"
The technician nodded.
"It was sealed behind insulation."
He carefully opened the box.
Inside were dozens of items.
A cracked cellphone.
Several torn journals.
Prescription bottles.
Baby clothes.
Marcus frowned.
"Lila..."
"Those are yours."
Lila slowly stood.
"My diary..."
She whispered.
"I thought I lost it."
Captain Brooks carefully picked up the cracked phone.
"It was deliberately smashed."
The technician nodded.
"We'll try recovering the data."
Then he lifted one final item from the box.
A small velvet jewelry case.
Marcus recognized it immediately.
"I gave that to her."
Lila nodded.
"My mother's necklace."
She opened the box.
It was empty.
She looked at Derek.
"You sold it."
He smiled.
"I needed cash."
Marcus took one slow step forward.
"You sold the last thing her mother ever owned."
Derek shrugged.
"It was just jewelry."
Marcus didn't answer.
Because if he had...
He wasn't sure he could stop.
Just then...
Another detective rushed inside holding his phone.
"Captain!"
"We have something."
She looked up.
"What?"
"The bank called."
"The necklace wasn't sold."
Everyone frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The detective looked toward Derek.
"It was pawned."
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
"So where is it now?"
The detective slowly answered.
"The pawn shop owner refused to release it."
"Not because of money..."
"...but because someone has been paying every month to keep it from being sold."
Lila looked confused.
"Who?"
The detective checked the file.
Then looked up in surprise.
"It wasn't Derek."
"It wasn't Brooke."
Marcus frowned.
"Then who?"
The detective slowly spoke the name.
"...Richard Carter."
Derek's father.
The billionaire CEO.
The very man Derek claimed knew nothing.
Marcus' expression changed instantly.
If Richard Carter had secretly protected Lila's necklace...
Then perhaps...
He didn't know the truth about his son's crimes at all.
Or worse...
May you like
He knew far more than anyone imagined.
End of Chapter 6
